Court saves acacia trees from Ecija road project

CABANATUAN CITY—At least 12 century-old acacia trees along the national highway in Barangay (village) Valdefuente were saved from a road-widening project after a court ordered government agencies and a private contractor to find ways to preserve them.

Judge Felizardo Montero Jr. of the Regional Trial Court Branch 29 here gave the Department of Public Works and Highways, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and the private contractor until Aug. 6 to file their comment.

The  complaint was filed last month by Valdefuente barangay chair Edgardo Bautista and city prosecutor Renato Villaroman against contractor Danny Sarmenta, owner of DG Sarmenta Construction; engineer Ulysses Llado Jr., chief of the Nueva Ecija second engineering district, and city environment and natural resources officer Ariel Mendoza.

The petitioners alleged that several big acacia trees and other hardwood species lining Maharlika Highway in nearby Barangay Daang Sarile had been cut to give way to the putting up of concrete culverts.

“These trees are priceless and their importance is beyond question,” they said.

They initially sought a temporary environmental protection order but Executive Judge Primo Sio Jr. found no extreme urgency to issue it.

Sio sent the records of the case to Montero on July 11.

During the recent proceedings, Montero advised the parties to look for ways to preserve the century-old trees while at the same time preserving the integrity of the construction being undertaken for the road-widening project.  Armand Galang, Inquirer Central Luzon